Expanded sight a possible indicator of NDE vs hallucination

JKMac

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This weekend I was listening to a Podcast by Radiolabs on the subject of color. They talked about the fact that humans have three types of cones in their retinas. Red, Green and Blue. By mixing various amounts of these three base colors you can create the whole range of colors that a human can see. This is also the basis of color TV with uses R/G/B to create the color palate.

They went on to describe a rare gene mutation in some women that adds a forth type cone: one for yellow. These people can theoretically see a huge range of additional colors that the rest of us can't.

This got me thinking about the fact that a large number of NDE and channelling accounts talk about the fact that the colors the individual sees are indescribable. They are outside of the range ever seen while alive. This comes up in something like half the cases I've read.

Sceptics have said over and over that NDEs could be caused by lack of oxygen or a number of other things, but it occurred to me that this ability to see a wider range of colors has gotten relatively little attention.

Here's what I am thinking-

if a normal person had a hallucination, they would probably describe the visual experience in the context of the sight characteristics from their living experience. That would be one with R/G/B vision. Whereas if a person described a visual experience that had a color spectrum that far exceeded the normal, perhaps what they are seeing is a visual experience that is not limited by 3 or even more types of cones.

Someone existing even temporarily in a non-physical plane wouldn't needed cones to interpret colors so it makes complete sense that any visual scene that they might encounter would be free of those limitations as would the memories of them.

It feels to me that a description of an experience with vastly increased color range might be considered an indicator that this experience is one that comes from beyond the normal physical realm, and is suggestive of an experience stemming from outside of the physical body rather than a hallucination or other physical event.

Has anyone heard of this aspect of NDEs ever discussed in this way?
 
I haven't heard of that aspect (as related to color cones, tc) before, but there is one that seems related and may make the point even more so.

There are a number of NDE cases where folks that were blind from birth were able to "see" in their NDEs. I believe Kenneth Ring did a study on this a ways back, with newer cases appearing in the meantime, I'm sure.
 
I haven't heard of that aspect (as related to color cones, tc) before, but there is one that seems related and may make the point even more so.

There are a number of NDE cases where folks that were blind from birth were able to "see" in their NDEs. I believe Kenneth Ring did a study on this a ways back, with newer cases appearing in the meantime, I'm sure.

Yes. Very familiar with several of those cases.
 
This weekend I was listening to a Podcast by Radiolabs on the subject of color. They talked about the fact that humans have three types of cones in their retinas. Red, Green and Blue. By mixing various amounts of these three base colors you can create the whole range of colors that a human can see. This is also the basis of color TV with uses R/G/B to create the color palate.

They went on to describe a rare gene mutation in some women that adds a forth type cone: one for yellow. These people can theoretically see a huge range of additional colors that the rest of us can't.

This got me thinking about the fact that a large number of NDE and channelling accounts talk about the fact that the colors the individual sees are indescribable. They are outside of the range ever seen while alive. This comes up in something like half the cases I've read.

Sceptics have said over and over that NDEs could be caused by lack of oxygen or a number of other things, but it occurred to me that this ability to see a wider range of colors has gotten relatively little attention.

Here's what I am thinking-

if a normal person had a hallucination, they would probably describe the visual experience in the context of the sight characteristics from their living experience. That would be one with R/G/B vision. Whereas if a person described a visual experience that had a color spectrum that far exceeded the normal, perhaps what they are seeing is a visual experience that is not limited by 3 or even more types of cones.

Someone existing even temporarily in a non-physical plane wouldn't needed cones to interpret colors so it makes complete sense that any visual scene that they might encounter would be free of those limitations as would the memories of them.

It feels to me that a description of an experience with vastly increased color range might be considered an indicator that this experience is one that comes from beyond the normal physical realm, and is suggestive of an experience stemming from outside of the physical body rather than a hallucination or other physical event.

Has anyone heard of this aspect of NDEs ever discussed in this way?

That is not actually how we see colour, the RGB type theory was overturned years ago. Generally speaking, we only actually see energy (luminosity/ black n white), in three narrow wavelengths. We don't actually see colour.

We create colours internally from these 3 narrow bands of luminosity, in context with all the surrounding surfaces in a visual scene. This allows us to have 'colour constancy', a way of recognising a permanent property of surfaces. Latest research actually indicates that the colours you perceive are being calculated from an even wider range of perceptions. So you are hallucinating the colours you see anyway, they don't exist, and we have no way of seeing them even if they did... The eye only sees luminosity in three narrow bands.
 
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That is not actually how we see colour, .

I am not expert in the field but the podcast was quite specific and had several current researchers as experts.

Link- http://www.radiolab.org/story/211119-colors/

One is a current professor in neurophysiology. If you want to compare resumes with these folks, go right ahead.

People like-Thomas Cronin, Jules Davidoff, Guy Deutscher, Victoria Finlay, James Gleick, Jonah Lehrer and Jay Neitz

OTOH- the piece was done two years ago so I suppose it's possible there has been a revolution on the subject matter....
 
I am not expert in the field but the podcast was quite specific and had several current researchers as experts.

Link- http://www.radiolab.org/story/211119-colors/

One is a current professor in neurophysiology. If you want to compare resumes with these folks, go right ahead.

People like-Thomas Cronin, Jules Davidoff, Guy Deutscher, Victoria Finlay, James Gleick, Jonah Lehrer and Jay Neitz

OTOH- the piece was done two years ago so I suppose it's possible there has been a revolution on the subject matter....

Yes, the old theory still gets trotted out today... the new theory is not at all well known. You can look up Edwin Land, he did all the experimental work. The BBC produced an excellent introduction to his work which I think is still available...

http://vimeo.com/m/11932120
 
Yes, the old theory still gets trotted out today... the new theory is not at all well known. You can look up Edwin Land, he did all the experimental work. The BBC produced an excellent introduction to his work which I think is still available...

http://vimeo.com/m/11932120

Thanks but actually- the point I was making is really not about the mechanics of human sight,,

its about the fact that living humans have a particular perception of color which according to many many NDE, and mediumship accounts is far less than what is perceived on the "other side". When people hallucinate, they generally don't talk about a color spectrum which is enhanced, but when people recount NDE they often do.

It just seems oddly consistent with NDEers that they have this capacity which exceeds what is certainly a limitation in our human color perception. No matter if the root is types or numbers of cones or some other aspect of our physiology.

Perhaps this says something about the validity of the NDE experience.
 
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Thanks but actually- the point I was making is really not about the mechanics of human sight,,

its about the fact that living humans have a particular perception of color which according to many many NDE, and mediumship accounts is far less than what is perceived on the "other side". When people hallucinate, they generally don't talk about a color spectrum which is enhanced, but when people recount NDE they often do.

It just seems oddly consistent with NDEers that they have this capacity which exceeds what is certainly a limitation in our human color perception. No matter if the root is types or numbers of cones or some other aspect of our physiology.

Perhaps this says something about the validity of the NDE experience.

Your observation almost certainly has something to tell us about what is going on during these recalled NDE's. But I don't think it tells us anything about the 'validity' of the experience from an 'afterlife' perspective... if that's what you mean by the term 'other side'?

The BBC documentary is well worth watching. When you dig a little deeper, these phenomena become more complicated (and interesting).
 
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